Social presence matters: unveiling the impact on knowledge hiding in enterprise social media collaboration

Abstract

Purpose This study investigates how enterprise social media (ESM) design can mitigate knowledge hiding by enhancing social presence, particularly through cognitive and affective dimensions, and explores the mediating role of emotional empathy in this process. Design/methodology/approach We employ a mixed-method approach, combining a questionnaire study with three behavioral experiments. The experiments manipulate cognitive presence (e.g. personal information disclosure), affective presence (e.g. emoji use) and communication visibility (public vs private) to examine their effects on knowledge hiding in ESM. Findings Results demonstrate that both cognitive and affective presence reduce knowledge hiding by fostering emotional empathy. Public communication enhances accountability, while private interactions strengthen dyadic empathy. Technical interventions that reinforce these social presence dimensions effectively mitigate knowledge concealment. Originality/value This study extends knowledge hiding research by shifting focus from individual motivations to technology-enabled social dynamics. It offers novel insights into ESM design optimization (e.g. homepage information, emoji libraries) and provides actionable solutions for enterprises managing remote work challenges.